Surgical bandage



Feb. 27, 1934. D` 1 DUHAMEL 1,949,271

lSURGICAL BANDAGE Filed Sept. 2, '193172` 4. y v nNvENToR:

@wf 19M A'rroRNEY Patented Feb. 27, 1934 SURGICAL BANDAGE Daniel J. Duhamel, Milford, Conn., assigner to The Bay Company, Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application September 2, 1933. Serial No. 687,934

3 Claims.

This invention relates to surgical bandages and more particularly to a type of ready-made bandages which are characterized by a surgical dressing in the form of a small pad of suitable 5 material, sometimes medicated and sometimes not, attached to a strip of .adhesive tape which extends beyond opposite edges of the pad. These bandages are adapted to be applied to a wound or bruise or other injury by placing the dressing l@ portion or pad-over the wound or injury and securing the bandage in place by means of the exposed ends of the adhesive tape.

It is essential that the portion which contacts the wound be sanitary and free of contaminal tion which might cause infection or irritation of the wound or injury, and it is also essential that the adhesive surfaces of the adhesive tape be not naked or exposed in such a way that they would be apt to stick to other bandages 2@ in the packages in which they are usually sold, or to anything else they might happen to touch in the packing, distribution or handling priorA to use. Accordingly it has been proposed heretofore to guard and protect the dressing pad and the adhesive surfaces by sticking one or more strips of suitable material, such as crinoline, to the opposite adhesive surfaces and having the ends of the strips overlap more cr less loosely over the dressing pad.

The principal object of my invention is to provide bandages of the character described which have more certain and better protection against contamination, and which are maintained sterile and sanitary more surely, and are less apt to cause infection and irritation of the parts dressed thereby; and at the same time to provide a bandage of the character described having the adhesive attachment surfaces well protected and shielded, and a bandage from which 4 the protective material, or strips, can be removed very readily and easily with less likelihood of the dressing pad or dressing material being contacted by the fingers or hand or contacting foreign substances during the operation of removing the protective strips.

Other objects of this invention will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In order that a clearer understanding of this invention may be had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, and illustrating certain possible embodiments of this invention,'and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a bandage V55 embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, and is taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a perspective view thereof, showing the loose end of one protective strip raised.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the bandage comprises a dressing portion or pad 1, of any suitable material, secured to a strip of adhesive tape 2 which has ends 3 and 4 extending beyond opposte edges of the pad 1. The dressing portion 1 and the adhesive on the adhesive strip portions 3 and 4 are protected by means of two 70 strips 5 and 6 of suitable material, for instance crinoline, although any suitable material may be employed. One of these protective strips, such as 5, covers and is stuck to the adhesive on end 3, extends over and covers the dressing pad 1 7l completely and has a portion 7 engaging and stuck down on the adhesive of end 4 adjacent the dressing pad 1. The extremity of strip 5 is folded upwardly and back and constitutes a tab on finger grip portion 8 of generous size and 80 in convenient position to be grasped by the fingers, and facilitates the removal of this strip by hand without danger of the fingers or hand or other foreign substances touching and. contaminating the dressing during the operation of re- B5 moving this strip.

The other protecting strip 6 covers and is stuck to the adhesive on end 4 of the adhesive tape 2 and has an end 9, preferably loose, extending over the tab 8 and the dressing pad 1.

In applying the bandage, the loose end 9 of protective strip 6 is grasped and this strip is then pulled completely oi the bandage. It will be noted that during this operation the dressing pad 1 remains completely protected by the strip 5, and 05 there is no danger of the fingers or hand touching the dressing pad 1, as is most likely to occur when the end of the under strip is loose over the pad and is not fastened down over it. Also, should the bandage be dropppd during the pulling oi of this protective strip, as frequently happens, or should the bandage fall or be brought against a foreign substance thereafter, the dressing pad 1 will not become contaminated as it is still fully protected by protective strip 5, which is not the case where the strip is not so fastened down. The tab 8 is then grasped and by pulling on this tab the protective strip 5 is completely removed from the bandage. Usually the end 3 of the adhesive tape is firmly held, and there is )Il little likelihood that the fingers gripping tab 8, or the hand will contact the dressing pad 1 during removal of strip 5, because the gripped extremity of strip 5 is beyond the dressing pad and is not over it. In bandages in which the end of the corresponding strip is over the dressing pad and free, it is practically impossible to take hold of the free end of the strip without the ngers contacting the dressing pad and contaminating-it.

The tasking' down of strip 5 on both sides of the dressing pad l also guards the pad more surely and effectively against contaminating contact with the fingers or hands of persons packing the bandages, or handling them prior to use, or with other foreign substances, than is possible with strips not so fastened over the dressing pad, and particularly those in which the ends of the protective strips are loose over'the vdressing pad, since these y open readily and easily and raise from the pad, leaving it exposed and unprotected, especially when the bandage is bent backwards. Dust, dirt and contaminating matter is much more apt to work its way between such loose protective material and the dressing pad, than between the protective material and dressing pad of my improved bandage.

This invention is not limited to the precise form, size, shape or materials of the embodiments which have been shown and described for the purpose of illustrating one possible embodiment of the invention, and it is to .be understood that all matter contained herein and shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense, and that the scope of the application of the invention is set forth in the claims that follow.

What I claim is:

1. A bandage of the character'described, including a dressing portion, attachment portions having adhesive surfaces at opposite sides of' the dressing portion, a strip of protective material tacked to one of said adhesive surfaces, extending across the dressing portion, terminating close te the dressing portion and tacked to the other adhesive surface, and a second protective strip tacked to, said other adhesive surface and extending part way over the other strip.

2. i bandage of the character described, including a dressing portion, a strip of adhesive tape secured to the back thereof and having adhesive surfaces` beyond opposite sides of the dressing portion, a strip of protective material tacked down on one of said adhesive surfaces and extending over the dressing portion and having an 9^@ end tacked down on the other adhesive surface adjacent that side of the dressing portion and another strip of protective material tacked down on the latter adhesive surface and having an end disposed over the otherprotective strip and free to be grasped by the fingers.

3. A bandage of the character described, including a dressing portion, a strip of adhesive tape secured to the back thereof and having adhesive surfaces beyond opposite sides of the dressing portion, a strip of protective material tacked down on one of said adhesive surfaces and extending over the dressing portion and having an end tacked down on the other adhesive surface adjacent that side of the dressing portion, the extremity of said end being folded upwardly and free to be grasped by the fingers, and another strip of protective material tacked down on the latter adhesive surface and having an end extending over said upwardly folded extremity of the other protective strip.

DANIEL J. DUHAMEL. 

